spitfires
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Re: Engine Swaps

To: "Reed Mideke" <rmideke@interbase.com>, <spitfires@autox.team.net>
Subject: Re: Engine Swaps
From: "James Carpenter" <james.carpenter@jccsystems.swinternet.co.uk>
Date: Thu, 22 Apr 1999 21:16:24 +0100
>Well, the drivetrain of the GT6 and sptifire (and hearald, I assume)
>are almost all the same. Non US spec PI GT6 was rated around
>150 horse.

Unfortunatly they never put a 2.5PI engin in a GT6.  UK was stuck with more
or less the same car as the USA.  2.0 carbed.  Generating 110 ish BHP.

I believe the recomended maximum for a stock Spitfire transition is 115 BHP.
Above that you need somthing a bit stronger back there.  Raceing suplyers
can give you all you need.

A UK spec Spitfire can easaly be persuaided to 85 BHP.  0-60 goes from 11.8
seconds to 10.2.  0-100 from 50 to 34 seconds.  Thats with electic fan
conversion 7BHP extractor manifold and freeflow air filters 7BHP. Overdrive
transmition is neessecery because the spit's engin redlines at 102 MPH.
That was done on my new top that car test program.  Now lets say through
various lightening and tuning we get 105 bhp.   Computer simulation says
that 0 to 60 will be 8.4 seconds and 0 to 100 will be 24 seconds.  Now I
recon you can get 105 bhp from a 1500 engin, OK not a road driver car but
posible.

I did consider putting a non original engin in the Spit, but in the end.  I
could see any advantage, tuning would be cheaper, and easyer to undo.  What
I have looked at is building a space frame and fiverglass chassis, then
taking some old rust bucket and making my own Spitfire copy.  Looks from the
outside exactly like a Spitfire, but with all round double wishbone
suspension, and what ever else I descide to give it.   Lighter too.  a
Spitspeshal but I get to keep and drive my normal Spit as well.

 As far as I can see this would probebly be easyer, NO RUST and you know all
the componets were up to the job.

My view, I would not touch a car with a swapped engin with a barge pole.
And I personly can't realy see the atraction of engin swapping when you can
ether tune, or build you own car.  Theres a book in the UK Haynes build you
own car for as littel as £250, basicly it tells you how to turn a rust
bucket into a 7 very cheaply.  With a 3.5L Rover V8 and a car weighing 500
600 kg (1000 - 1400 pounds) acceleration will be weigh better than any
modified Spitifre with equivilent engin.




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